Georgia State of Mind
You know that you're in Georgia when you see the 'peachoid' in Gafney.April, 2007
We hustled to get down here for a wedding and plan to take our time returning to New York.
While waiting to pick up Dan at the Atlanta airport (Carrie & Genevieve flew down last week.), we spent some time at the Atlanta Botanic Garden and saw the opening of their new exhibit: Big Bugs. There was also an exhibit of carnivorous plants and flowering orchids. We also hung out with our nephew Adam.
ABG's orchid house
We could have danced all night.
We came to Georgia to attend Rocco (Carrie's cousin) & Shannon's wedding about 80 miles east of Atlanta. We had a really good time at the wedding. I didn't know too many people there, but it didn't matter: I danced, I drank, I schmoozed. I talked to lots of people. I don't know how many may have been insulted by my humor. The groom's family may not be able to show their faces around town for a while.
At the beginning of the ceremony, the minister asked the couple if there was any reason why they couldn't be married. I thought to my own wedding day. It was a good thing that I wasn't asked that question. It would have put me in an awkward position. You know what it's like: You had a few drinks on a hot 4th of July and the next thing that you knew it was Labor Day. Can you get a postponement to ask your friends if they remember what happened that year? Maybe they have photographs. (Maybe they'll sell you the negatives to burn.)
If it happened now, I'd still be in trouble. It's getting to the point where I won't know what I had for breakfast unless I look at my shirt.
Genevieve and the most important men in her life.
ON THE LAKE: Genevieve's at the helm. Stay out of the water!
The day following the wedding, we relaxed for a few hours on Lake Oconee at the lake house of a family member, then drove Dan, Carrie, & Genevieve to the Atlanta airport and headed south to Macon.
The cost of gasoline is making an impact on our travel plans. At about 25 cents per mile to drive the van, it is sometimes less expensive to stay at a motel in town than to go back and forth to a campground.
In Macon, we visited Ocmulgee National Monument.
At this site, which had been occupied for 10,000 years, paleo-Indians built earthen mounds for reasons yet unknown. One of the mounds, built earth-filled basket by earth-filled basket, is 55 feet high and 300 x 270 feet; that's a lot of dirt to carry in wicker baskets. It must have been a government project.
Macon is known for its antebellum homes.
Macon is one of the few cities in Georgia that were not burned by Gen. Sherman. Also, only one cannon shot was fired at Macon by Union forces. (The cannonball still sits where it landed in the front hall of a stately home now known as The Cannonball House. Because of these two non-attacks, Macon has more antebellum homes (among its 5500 individual structures that are on the National Register of Historic Places) than other city in Georgia. We walked around and took pictures. We also bought a Hebrew National hot dog from a street vendor; the only Macon eating establishment with New York City ambiance.
St. Joseph's Church
There are many churches (and three synagogues) in Macon. Irish immigrants built St. Joseph's R.C. Church, an imposing edifice, at the end of the 19th century. Temple Beth Israel has a gas-fired ner tamid, one of only three surviving in the U.S., and a stained glass eye in the ceiling probably representing the all-seeing eye of God. (There's one on the back of a dollar bill.)
Rose Hill Cemetery
Rose Hill Cemetery along the Ocmulgee River has been in use for nearly two centuries. It is know for its terraces. Two members of Georgia's Allman Brothers Band are buried here. I think that they were dead at the time. It's hard to know what some people will do after they've had a few too many. If they weren't then, they are now.
We headed north bypassing Atlanta and passing through Alpine Helen. Several decades ago, the small northeast Georgia town of Helen tried to increase tourism by renaming itself Alpine Helen and taking on the look of a Bavarian village. [Hansel's Motel, Gretel's Restaurant, O'Reilly's Bier Haus, etc.] The scheme worked; people come. Even chain restaurants and motels are done in the Bavarian motif.
'Bavarian' and standard Huddle House.
Great Smoky Mountain National Park
Babbling Brook
(Click here to hear it 'babbling.')
Continuing north, we drove through and stayed in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Within a day's drive for half of the U.S. population, the GSM is the most visited national park in America; but not right now. The campground was at less than 10% capacity. This means that the flies had fewer people to bite, so had to concentrate on the few that were there. Although we sprayed ourselves with the most powerful insect repellent that we could get (29% DEET);the starving flies held their noses and dove right in.
Fortunately, the flies were not on the trails. We did several miles; half up hill @ 6,000 ft elevation. As we hadn't brought our bikes, we did the trails on foot. The ten mile Roaring Fork Nature Trail we did in the van. We saw two bear; one while walking and one while driving. We were about 25 feet from the one that we saw while walking, but it was young; Sarah could have taken it. (Two out of three, at least.)
In GSMNP are buildings built and used by the early inhabitants of Appalachia. We visited several of them in several locations.
Allen meditates on the porch of an old Appalachian cabin.
We stayed overnight in Gatlinburg, “The Gateway to the Smokies,” or, from our direction, “The Exit of the Smokies.” We've been to Gatlinburg [along with nearby Pigeon Forge] several times over the last 30 years and it is bigger every time that we visit. There are more hotels, restaurants, theaters, and shops. The shopping has changed, too. Once primarily a place for non-campers to stay while visiting GSMNP or for a break from camping, Gatlinburg became a destination in itself. T-shirt shops have changed: The Big Johnson line seems to be gone, Christian and Redneck are in front.
Country singer Dolly Parton's “Dollywood” is a big attraction as are the religious-themed and country music shows. www.Dollywood.com www.MiracleTheater.com www.ChristusGardens.com www.FiddlersFeastDinnerShow.com www.CountryTonitePF.com www.DixieStampede.com www.AmericanJukeBox.com www.ComedyBarn.com www.BlackBearJamboree.com
The t-shirt shops have a “no refund” policy. It's like a tattoo. 'It seemed like a good idea at the time.' At least with the tee, you can toss it in the back of a drawer; you don't have to wear a large Band-Aid when you go out with short sleeves or while swimming.
The weather has been good for us: plenty of sunshine and warm dry air. The farmers would like to see some rain; it's been one of the driest years on record. In the GSMNP, some waterfalls are not falling, some brooks are not babbling, some cascades are froth-free.
We're taking the opportunity to walk more and eat better. Rum & Diet Coke: 0 trans fats, 0 cholesterol, 0 carbs. Who knew that it was health food?
Regards,
Allen & Sarah
posted by Allen and Sarah at 2:31 PM
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